Plant Engineer

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Plant Engineer to join a high-volume meat and protein processing operation in the United States.

The Plant Engineer will be responsible for ensuring the reliability, efficiency, safety, and performance of all plant equipment, infrastructure, and utilities. This role will play a critical part in supporting production uptime, optimizing manufacturing processes, delivering capital improvement projects, and maintaining compliance with stringent food safety and regulatory standards.

The successful candidate will bring a strong engineering background within the meat, poultry, or wider food manufacturing sector, with particular expertise in preventative maintenance, refrigeration systems, automated processing equipment, and continuous improvement.

This position requires an individual who thrives in a fast-paced, highly regulated manufacturing environment and can work collaboratively with Operations, Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Plant Leadership.

Key Responsibilities

1. Plant Engineering & Equipment Reliability

• Oversee the engineering performance and reliability of production equipment, utilities, and plant infrastructure.

• Support maintenance and troubleshooting of meat processing equipment, including grinders, mixers, conveyors, slicers, portioning systems, packaging lines, and automated production systems.

• Develop and implement preventative and predictive maintenance strategies to minimize unplanned downtime.

• Identify recurring equipment failures and implement permanent engineering solutions through root cause analysis.

• Improve equipment availability, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), and production throughput.

• Support the maintenance team with complex mechanical, electrical, and automation-related issues.

2. Capital Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Lead engineering projects from initial concept and feasibility through installation, commissioning, and operational handover.

• Manage capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects, ensuring delivery against agreed budgets, timelines, and performance targets.

• Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, reduce operating costs, and increase plant capacity.

• Support the installation and integration of new processing, packaging, refrigeration, and automation technologies.

• Work with equipment manufacturers, contractors, and external engineering partners.

• Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies to optimize plant performance.

3. Refrigeration, Utilities & Infrastructure

• Support the safe and efficient operation of industrial refrigeration systems, including ammonia refrigeration where applicable.

• Oversee engineering performance of critical plant utilities, including compressed air, steam, boilers, hot water, wastewater treatment, HVAC, and electrical distribution.

• Maintain appropriate environmental conditions across processing, chilling, freezing, and cold-storage areas.

• Identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption, water usage, and utility costs.

• Ensure plant infrastructure and engineering systems are maintained to support operational and regulatory requirements.

4. Food Safety, Regulatory Compliance & EHS

• Ensure engineering activities support compliance with applicable USDA-FSIS requirements, FDA regulations where relevant, OSHA standards, and environmental regulations.

• Maintain equipment and facilities in accordance with HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs).

• Ensure engineering modifications support hygienic design, effective sanitation, and prevention of cross-contamination.

• Support compliance with OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) and EPA Risk Management Program (RMP) requirements where applicable.

• Promote safe working practices, including Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), machine guarding, confined-space entry, and contractor safety.

• Participate in plant inspections, regulatory audits, and corrective action programs.

5. Automation & Technical Support

• Troubleshoot and improve automated manufacturing systems, including PLC-controlled equipment, sensors, drives, and industrial control systems.

• Collaborate with automation specialists and equipment suppliers to improve line efficiency and equipment performance.

• Support the integration of new manufacturing technologies and data-driven maintenance systems.

• Utilize Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) to monitor asset performance, maintenance history, and equipment reliability.

• Maintain accurate engineering documentation, equipment specifications, technical drawings, and maintenance procedures.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Plant Management, Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Sanitation, and EHS teams.

• Provide engineering expertise to resolve production bottlenecks and operational challenges.

• Support maintenance planning around production schedules, sanitation windows, and planned shutdowns.

• Assist with technical training and development of maintenance technicians and operational personnel.

• Communicate project progress, equipment performance, and engineering priorities to plant leadership.

Candidate Requirements

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent relevant plant engineering experience may be considered.

• Typically 5+ years of engineering experience within a high-volume manufacturing environment.

• Experience within meat processing, poultry, protein manufacturing, or closely related food production operations.

• Strong understanding of industrial maintenance, equipment reliability, and manufacturing engineering principles.

• Experience with mechanical systems, electrical equipment, industrial utilities, and automated production machinery.

• Demonstrated ability to manage engineering projects and capital equipment installations.

• Working knowledge of preventative maintenance systems, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.

• Familiarity with applicable OSHA requirements and food manufacturing safety standards.

• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and communication skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a demanding, fast-paced, 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct engineering experience in beef, pork, poultry, or further-processed protein manufacturing.

• Experience with slaughter, fabrication, deboning, grinding, portioning, cooking, or packaging operations.

• Knowledge of ammonia refrigeration systems and associated safety requirements.

• Experience with PLCs, automation, robotics, and industrial control systems.

• Familiarity with high-speed packaging equipment, including vacuum packaging, thermoforming, and modified atmosphere packaging.

• Experience using SAP PM, Maximo, Fiix, or similar CMMS platforms.

• Lean Six Sigma certification or demonstrated continuous improvement experience.

• Experience delivering capital projects within USDA-regulated food processing facilities.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) certification is advantageous but not essential.